Friday, 25 October 2013

The gorgeous Judith from Anna Vierecently launched her own collection of silk blouses. I immediately snapped one up and here I am wearing the Very Berry Original Shirt. The fit is perfectly feminine and the silk fabric so luxuriously soft that it's become both a work and weekend staple. Now I've got my eye on the sea green version.

Also sorry it's been so long since my last post, I've had a crazy couple of weeks at work and home. I'm off now for dinner but hope to be back to somewhat regular posting again next week for any of you that do check back for updates!

Saturday, 12 October 2013

It’s no secret I love a bold print. So
no surprises that I’ve got my eye on most of Gorman’s latest fruity prints. I’ll
probably wear some double fruits (yep I will) but I also think I can
incorporate these prints easily into my wardrobe as separates. Of course the
trend isn’t new – fruit featured heavily in designer Stella McCartney’s 2011
Spring/Summer collection - it’s just got a little more affordable for the masses.

Monday, 7 October 2013

Last Thursday at work we had a 'Bake Off'. Each team of three was tasked to make a cheesecake that would be judged on originality, creativity (overall visual appeal) and taste. To make things a little more difficult interesting we were also given a secret ingredient - ours was Vegemite! At first we freaked out (others were given peanut butter and coffee) but decided if we had any chance of winning we needed to embrace the Vegemite and use it throughout the cake. We added one teaspoon (you could definitely add 2 if you wanted) to the main filling which added a subtle malty flavour that complimented the rich caramel fudge perfectly, and another teaspoon to the toffee shards. I think it was the toffee that got us over the line (we won!) - we're onto something here with Vegemite toffee - it was amazing! Whilst not the simplest of cakes (we were trying to impress the judges), it was pretty straight forward and I will definitely make it again for a special occasion. If you don't want to bother with the whole cake, try the cake pops on their own - super simple and so delicious!

300g chocolate biscuits (we used Caramel Tim Tams but you can use Oreo or any chocolate biscuit)

100g Philadelphia cream cheese

150g white and milk chocolate melts, for coating

Sprinkles

Vegemite Toffee Shards

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon Vegemite

Preheat oven to 160C. Using a food processor, process biscuits until fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the butter. Press over base and side of a 21cm round (base) springform cake pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the fudge, place chocolate, condensed milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes or until smooth and combined. Remove from heat. Stand for 2 minutes. Remove 3 tablespoons of the fudge and transfer to a bowl to use later for the topping. Pour remaining fudge over prepared base, gently spreading to cover. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Add Vegemite and cream. Beat for 3 minutes or until combined and mixture thickens slightly. Pour over fudge layer. Place pan on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour or until cheesecake is just set (cheesecake will wobble slightly in centre). Turn oven off. Cool cheesecake in oven with door ajar. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Cake Pops: Process the biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the cream cheese and process until just combined. Roll into balls. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Coat the balls in the melted chocolate and place on a lined baking sheet. Top with sprinkles and put them back in the fridge until set.

For the Vegemite Toffee Shards, stir sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar is dissolved (don't boil until sugar is completely dissolved). To dissolve any sugar left on the side of the pan, brush down with a wet pasty brush. Add Vegemite and bring to boil. Cook until the mixture is a rich golden colour and the mix thickens - don't let it burn. Remove from heat and pour onto paper lined baking tray. Set aside to harden. Once completely set, break it into shards with the end of a knife.

To make the fudge topping (this is simply to provide a base for you cake pops to stick to). Reheat the 3 tablespoons of fudge you've kept aside in microwave. Add the tablespoon of thickened cream and whisk with a hand whisk until smooth. Spread this over the top of your cheesecake, top with cake pops and Vegemite toffee shards.

Friday, 4 October 2013

The boy and I went for brunch on Sunday (zucchini fritters with salmon and poached eggs for me, poached eggs with avocado for him),
followed by a drive down the beach, and later that evening we went out for
Thai. I love a cruisy Sunday together that revolves around food.

Also, my package finally arrived from the US and it was well worth the wait for this vintage dress (the Saint Laurent Skirt is also A-mazing and will be worn this week). I love a vintage dress and seem to have a knack of finding great ones that suit my shape and are in near perfect condition (much to my girlfriends' annoyance). This one has an adorable cockatiel print and will be on serious rotation this summer.

p.s I mixed up the background with this wall down the side of my house.